Prime Minister Theresa May is backing a campaign to raise a statue to Nancy Astor, the first female MP to take her seat in the Houses of Parliament.
She is joined by some of the most long-standing and iconic female MPs from both the House of Lords and the House of Commons across all political parties in Britain.
Theresa May said:
“As the first woman to take her seat in Parliament, Nancy Astor paved the way for the many – but still too few – women who have followed in her footsteps over the last hundred years.
“As she said in her maiden speech, her fellow MPs should not be frightened of what Plymouth sends out into the world – indeed, Plymouth and the whole UK should be proud of the great strides Nancy Astor made for equality and representation.
“I am proud to serve as the UK’s second female Prime Minister in a Parliament with more female MPs than ever before. But I want that number to continue to grow – so I am proud to support this initiative to mark the centenary of Nancy Astor’s election with a statue, and hope it will inspire new generations of women and girls to play their full part in our democracy.”
A Crowdfunder campaign for the statue was officially launched on November 2 with a special event at her former home in Elliot Terrace on the Hoe.
Plymouth MP Luke Pollard is chairing the campaign, which hopes to raise £120,000 in time for the centenary anniversary of the year Nancy Astor was elected.
To date there is no public statue to Lady Astor and campaigners are hoping for backing to raise funds to build one to be unveiled on The Hoe in Plymouth, 100 years to the day since her victory was announced on the steps of Plymouth’s Guildhall on November 28 1919.
Luke Pollard said:
“Plymouth has a proud and rich political history and we need to celebrate our successes as a city. That’s why I think it is time to remember properly the public service of Nancy Astor who was not only the first woman to take her seat but was a Plymouth MP.
“As a city we are sometimes slow to celebrate our history and that needs to change. The 100th anniversary of Nancy Astor’s election gives us the chance to remember her contribution to our city and the nation and how she opened the door to more women standing for election.”
Nancy Astor, who was originally from America, was elected to Parliament just one year after some British women received the vote, by a huge majority of voters in the West Country city of Plymouth.
More than 70% of the electorate turned out: the Plymouth people knew they were making history by sending the first woman to parliament.
“She was fearless in the way she championed the interests of Plymouth, the causes that mattered to people in our city and women, children and families throughout the country. She blazed a trail for others to follow. A statue to recognise this is long overdue”
– LINDA GILROY
It was on December 1 1919 that she first walked into Parliament as the first elected female MP to take her seat, facing 620 men – most of whom were fearful and hostile to the idea of women in Parliament.
That moment changed equality and democracy in the UK irrevocably.
International Astor Scholar Dr Jacqui Turner from Reading University where the Astor Papers are held, explained:
“The election of Lady Astor changed British democracy forever. The importance of her election is that here, for the first time, was a woman who was able to directly influence the parliamentary debate and the writing of the laws of their own land. A responsibility she willingly shouldered for all women.
“Her courage and resilience in standing alone for almost two years in a hostile House established a platform on which women continue to build today. Her arrival in Parliament ushered in a new type of politician, a public woman, a new perspective and a reminder that there was a female electorate who increasingly demanded to be satisfied.”
Nancy Astor was persuaded to stand for the seat in Plymouth after her husband Waldorf – who previously held the seat – was elevated to the House of Lords when his father died and he inherited his title becoming the 2nd Viscount Astor.
Alice Astor, grand-daughter of Nancy Astor, who is supporting the campaign, said: “I’m thrilled to be supporting this campaign. My grandmother was a trailblazer in politics who was passionate about Plymouth and a statue would be a fitting tribute not only to her service to the people of the city but also to her determination to be the voice of people who until then did not have a voice in Westminster.”
Linda Gilroy, who held the seat of Plymouth Sutton from 1997 to 2010, and who is part of the fundraising committee, said:
“Lady Astor rose magnificently to the enormous challenge of being the first woman to take her seat in Parliament.
“She was fearless in the way she championed the interests of Plymouth, the causes that mattered to people in our city and women, children and families throughout the country. She blazed a trail for others to follow. A statue to recognise this is long overdue.”
Linda Gilroy is joined in her campaigning for the statue by two other former women MPs from the city – Alison Seabeck (Labour) and Dame Janet Fookes (Conservative) – and actively promotes the cross-party aspect of the campaign.
If enough money is raised in the initial stages, then a design competition will be launched to design the statue. There are three sites on The Hoe outside Nancy Astor’s former family home – which she gifted to the city on her retirement – that will be considered.
Among the range of Crowdfunding rewards available are: £1,000 for tickets to the VIP unveiling of the statue and a champagne reception at Lady Astor’s former family home at Elliot Terrace on The Hoe in Plymouth afterwards, £500 for an engraved stone around the statue, and many rewards of £15 for name, photo and hopes and dreams for the future to be placed inside a time capsule to be opened in 100 years.
To contribute please visit www.ladyastorstatue100.co.uk and you can follow the campaign on social media at @ladyastorstatue or www.facebook.com/ladyastorstatue
